Iron Maiden have shared a heartfelt video of their final ever live show with Nicko McBrain. Check it out below.
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The drummer joined the line–up back in 1982, replacing Clive Burr, and played on all of their albums since 1983’s ‘Piece Of Mind’. He announced news of his retirement from touring last week and confirmed that the band’s show in Sao Paulo on Saturday (December 7) would be his last.
At the gig, the iconic metal band broke out a huge number of classic tracks from across their discography, and ended their final gig with the drummer with a rendition of their 1986 favourite ‘Wasted Years’.
Now, the band have shared an official video marking the occasion, which shows the speech made by frontman Bruce Dickinson in full.
“Tonight is a very special night, as some of you, I think probably all of you, will know, because this morning we announced, Nicko announced that he was stepping back from playing live drums with Iron Maiden,” Dickinson is heard saying, speaking to the packed crowd at the city’s Allianz Parque stadium.
“For 42 years, Nicko’s been in this band. He was a drummer before I was a singer, he was a pilot before I was a pilot and now he’s not leaving the band, but he’s just not playing live with us anymore. So we have a lot more music to get to tonight and I want the rest of the night to be a celebration of Nick, a celebration of the joy that he’s brought to everybody around the world.”
Thank You Nicko!#IronMaiden #NickoMcBrain pic.twitter.com/lKUzAWGZXZ
— Iron Maiden (@IronMaiden) December 10, 2024
Afterwards, each bandmate is seen taking turns hugging McBrain, while the crowd chant his name and cheer. The clip also shows some of what the band got up to while backstage, including their discussions and lighthearted photoshoots.
McBrain is also seen speaking to the crew in light of his final show, saying: “Thank you so very much for all the work you’ve done for us… and I’m sure you all appreciate that I hate you all!” Check it out in full above.
The announcement that his touring days would be coming to an end come as he suffered a minor stroke, or transient ischaemic attack, in January 2023 which left him partially paralysed on his right side from the shoulder down.
Following his stroke, McBrain underwent 10 weeks of “intensive therapy” in an effort to get back to full strength, and within months he was ready to start rehearsals with the rest of the band, ahead of their ‘The Future Past’ tour. He did admit earlier this year, however, that there were some songs that he “can’t play” in the way he had previously done.
Iron Maiden perform on stage in 2024. CREDIT: Daniel Knighton/Getty Images
In his update with fans last week, he wrote: “What can I say? Touring with Maiden for the last 42 years has been an incredible journey! To my devoted fan base, you made it all worthwhile and I love you!”
He also added that he will continue to write music with the band, but is looking to “take a step back from the grind of the extensive touring lifestyle”.
The Sao Paulo show over the weekend was the final scheduled date of Iron Maiden’s ‘The Future Past’ world tour, which began in May 2023. Up next, they’ll head back on the road in 2025 for their ‘Run For Your Lives’ world tour, which is set to begin in the spring.
The members have already confirmed the replacement for McBrain – announcing that Simon Dawson, who plays in British Lion (the hard rock project of Iron Maiden founder Steve Harris) will be taking over touring duties.
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